Dark Demon
by NekoChan-1995
Summary: Damien is an ancient Carpathian warrior who believes that a lifemate will simply slow him down and get in his way. Until he meets Angelica, a deaf botanist with the exceptional ability to read people's thoughts. He rescued her once, several years ago, but he did not see the signs. Now, she's back and changing his view of the world. Can he handle it? Rated M for sexual content.
1. Prologue

As Damien ripped the heart out of the newly changed vampire who'd been attacking him, he thought of how sad it was that so many young Carpathians couldn't stand being without color and emotion. He didn't really remember either color or emotion, he had gone so long without. Since Dominic had found his lifemate, that made Damien the oldest Carpathian without one. He was just a few years younger than the Dragonseeker and he was getting close to the end. The beast within him was much stronger and much harder to push down and he never exchanged blood with other males anymore, for in case he pushed himself past the edge before he walked into the dawn.

Damien brought down the lightning, knowing it would not be suspicious with the rain, and had it strike the shriveled up heart he held in the palm of his hand. He bathed his hands in the healing light, removing all traces of the fight he'd been in. He'd made plenty of enemies as a Carpathian warrior, but he enjoyed the kill. Or had. As it was, he just killed them because it was what he had always done. For hundreds of years, he had been a warrior. He had wanted a lifemate before he lost his emotions, but now he knew that a lifemate would be a hindrance. He needed his focus on killing vampires and only on killing vampires.

Angelica wrapped her arms around herself as she leaned against the powerful tree trunk. She could still hear the thoughts of the men chasing her, wanting to rape and kill her, so she knew they were still close by. She shoved her long blonde hair out of her eyes as she shivered against the rain threatening to freeze her. She heard the thoughts of the men as they passed her and sighed in relief, hoping she didn't make a sound. With the way the three men's thoughts had gone nowhere near where she was and was relieved.

She had been born deaf, but she had the ability to read people's thoughts, so it was easier for her to go through the motions of a regular life. She knew what people wanted to say, even if they were bad with sign language, so she could respond correctly. Unfortunately, many people still thought they could take advantage of her due to her handicap.

As she continued to lean against the tree, hoping the men didn't find her, she was still getting wet from the rain. She could feel the cold burying itself deep into her bones, but she couldn't risk moving. She wouldn't know if she was making noise, so she might end up alerting the men to her location. She leaned even more into the tree, hoping the branches would shield her at least a small bit from the unforgiving rain.

There was a heartbeat in the forest. It had been going quickly before, but now it was slowing at a rate that was not safe for anyone, Carpathian, human, or animal. Damien followed the sound and saw a petite woman leaning against a tree. Her long hair fell into her face and he could see that she would slip into hypothermia soon if he didn't help her.

"Are you okay?" he asked. The woman didn't respond and he frowned before asking in several different languages. When she still didn't respond, he touched her shoulder and she jumped as if startled before backing away, even more into the tree, her eyes widen. "I asked if you were okay." The woman's hands started to move at a fast rate and he saw that she was using sign language. "Are you deaf?" he asked. The woman went into another flurry of hand motions and he grabbed her wrists. Her eyes widened again and he could see the fear in her eyes. She had no idea what he was saying. She was deaf and that made it that much harder to help her.

Damien gently moved inside her mind and saw the fear there. _Do not be afraid. I mean to help you. Can you speak? _The woman shook her head and he could see that she had been afraid to learn, since she couldn't hear anything and she didn't want to pronounce the words wrong. He touched her skin and knew it was too cool to the touch, even without the cold rain. _I need to take you to the hospital. You're too cold to survive very long. You might be suffering from hypothermia._ Images flashed through her mind of three men who had wanted to rape her. She'd been cataloging plants far from town when they had come up to her and she had run. While she ran, she'd gotten lost and she didn't know where town was, let alone where her truck was. She was alone, lost, and terrified. _I can take you into town. I know where it is. You need medical attention. I will not be responsible for your death._ The woman nodded and he picked her up to rush her into the nearest town.

Angelica didn't know what to think about the man who had found her. She hadn't been able to hear his thoughts, but then, all of a sudden, he had been in _her_ mind, talking to her and reading her emotions. She hadn't liked it much, but it had been apparent that he didn't know sign language and he'd needed to speak to her. On top of that, he was the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen. He was tall, his body corded with muscle, his black hair was a long, wild mane, his mouth was both sensual and firm, and his eyes were a hard gray.

When they made it into town, she was more aware of how badly she was shivering. She felt as if her body was vibrating. The man, she still didn't know his name, took her into the medical clinic and she was immediately rushed to a room and the man set her down on the bed. She presumed he told the nurse what was wrong, but she hated that she couldn't be certain. She saw a clipboard in the nurse's hand and pointed to it before pointing to herself. The nurse handed her the clipboard and a pen and she started to write. She handed the clipboard to the man, the words, "Thank you for saving me," written on it in her messy scribble. The man nodded before handing the clipboard to the nurse and leaving.


	2. Chapter 1

Angelica walked through the woods she hadn't been in for three years. As a botanist, she tried to return to locations to check on how the vegetation was doing and if there were any new species integrating into the ecosystem. For this location, the Carpathian mountains, she had never finished cataloging the plants before she had left after her near rape and hypothermia scare. She was hoping to see the man who had saved her life and haunted her dreams, but she didn't even know her name.

As she was cataloging a tree indigenous to the area, she wished she could remember the name, she felt eyes on her. It was strange, since she always did her research at night, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something evil was watching her. She rubbed her arms, where she could feel goosebumps forming. She wanted to leave the area, but she had left her work unfinished once and didn't want to do so again.

Damien felt the evil presence in the woods and his mind jumped immediately to the only thing it could be. Vampire. He knew without a doubt that it would be his last hunt. He was too far gone that he knew he would kill the next time he fed. He was intent on facing the dawn and ending himself the way he should end, honorably.

He stalked towards it, as quiet as he could be, when he saw the dark figure in the shadows of a tree, looking down on a petite woman. The woman seemed aware of the presence, but continued doing whatever it was she was doing in the middle of the night. Damien heard the hissing of the vampire, trying to get the human woman to come to him, compulsion in his voice, but the woman didn't respond. Memories of a similar woman came to him, a deaf woman whom he had saved from death by hypothermia. She had been just as petite with long hair and a slender body. Her face had been almost angelic in it's soft beauty. He was almost sure this was the same woman.

"Come to me, my prey." the vampire whispered, completely focused on the woman.

Damien used it's focus against it and slammed his fist into it's chest, ripping out the shrunken, shriveled heart and destroying it quickly, without the woman noticing. He watched for a while, amazed at how focused she was on the task at hand. He wasn't sure what she was doing, but he could see that she was quick and efficient. All of her movements were graceful, even if she did make quite a bit of noise because she wasn't aware of it.

Angelica felt as if one set of eyes had stopped observing her, but another pair of eyes were. She looked around, uneasy. She knew that she should bring a companion out in the woods with her, since she was deaf, but she felt that they would just get in her way. Now, she regretted such a decision. She had the feeling she was in danger and she didn't like it.

In order to scare of an animal, if it would work, she tried talking. She hoped she formed the word hello properly, but she wasn't sure if she did, since she couldn't hear her own voice.

When Damien heard a soft, distorted hello, he thought he was imagining things. All of a sudden, the world around him was filled with the color and brightness he only remembered from his childhood, long ago. A childhood that was bittersweet, a strange feeling that told him that he wasn't imagining anything. The woman was his lifemate and as he looked at her, he saw her in full color. She was petite, with long white-blonde hair, pale, creamy skin, wide blue eyes, and full, pink lips. He needed to meet her again. To hear her voice in his mind.

He stepped forward and when he saw her eyes widen, he thought it was in fear. He gently moved into her mind. _I do not wish to harm you. I saved you three years ago. You were close to suffering from hypothermia. Do you not remember me?_

The woman shook her head and used sign language to say that she did remember him. He was happy he had learned sign language after he had met her the first time. Now, he could understand what she was saying to him.

The need to bind her to him, exchange blood, and claim her as his own overtook him and he began to speak into her mind before he could stop himself or tell her what he was. _I claim you as my life mate. I belong to you. I offer my life for you. I give to you my protection, my allegiance, my heart, my soul, and my body. I take into my keeping the same that is yours. Your life, happiness, and welfare will be cherished and placed above my own for all time. You are my life mate, bound to me for all eternity and always in my care._

Angelica felt as if there was something that had bound her to the man. The words he'd spoken had been beautiful, but she could sense the power behind them. Now, he was moving towards her, a predatory gleam in his eyes. She backed up, stumbling a little bit on the uneven ground, but he kept walking towards her until her back was against a tree.

He opened his mouth, revealing a flash of unnaturally long and sharp teeth, before bending down to her and seeking his teeth into her neck. Fear raced through her, but his mind was somehow in hers and was full of reassuring light. He didn't want to harm her or scare her.

She felt his mouth move against her skin as he . . . drank her blood? Why was he drinking her blood? She felt panic rise up and threaten to overwhelm her. She needed to get away. She shoved at his brick wall of a chest, catching him off guard and she felt his teeth rip her throat as he stumbled back, losing his balance. Blood spurted out of her neck and she felt herself getting weaker as she lost blood.

"No!" Damien shouted as he saw her faint. She'd lost too much blood and it was his fault. He had scared her and she had done the only thing she thought would save her. He raced over to her and closed the wound in her neck with his saliva, but her pulse was still very low. There was an urgency in him that he had never felt before. He needed to save her. He slashed his wrist with his nail and held it to her mouth, moving into her mind to make her drink.

When she woke up a few moments later, her eyes went wide again and she tried to back away from him, even though she was still much too weak

_Please, don't exert yourself. I'm sorry. My nature overcame me and I claimed you and took your blood without thinking. You must stay still for a while. _Damien told her, hoping she would listen. He could not lose her, unless he wanted to lose himself.

_What are you?_ The voice in her mind was weak with confusion and fear.

_I am a Carpathian and you are my lifemate. You are to stay by my side for the rest of out lives and I will tend to your happiness. _Damien told her.

She looked annoyed beyond belief. _I have no idea what you've been smoking, but I am not your lifemate or whatever. Not only do I not even know your name, but I don't even know what the hell a Carpathian is. And I don't know why you think I need someone to tend to my happiness, but I can assure you I make myself happy doing what I love doing._

Angelica didn't know what to think about the man in front of her. He didn't know anything about her, yet he was saying crap about her living with him the rest of her life? She didn't understand what was going on, but she was sure as hell she didn't like it. He obviously didn't like it either, with the way his mouth tightened.

_Whether you like it or not, you are my woman and you are coming with me. _He growled in her mind, his fury blistering.

_A name would be nice before I decide to go with you or not._ Angelica smirked. He wasn't getting away with trying to scare her to do what he wanted her to do.

_Damien. Now, let's go. _He was still furious.

Angelica grinned. This was getting funnier and funnier. _My name's Angelica Newport. It's a pleasure to meet you, but I'm not going anywhere with you._

_Like hell you're not._ Damien growled. He lifted her off the ground and started running so fast that she had to wrap her arms around his neck just to feel more secure. She was terrified about where he could possibly be taking her, but she was also too afraid to ask him.

Damien ran to Mikhail's house and knocked on the door. When the prince answered, he didn't look too surprised, but instead let him in. When his lifemate, Raven, walked into the room, she looked surprised and told him to put Angelica down on the couch.

"What brings you here with this terrified woman?" Mikhail asked as Damien set her down.

"She's my lifemate." Damien told him.

Mikhail looked over at Angelica. "Hello, my name is Mikhail. Are you psychic?"

Angelica started her flurry of sign language, but it was too fast for Damien to understand. When Mikhail turned to him, he shrugged. "I'm not that great at sign language."

Raven sighed. "She said that she didn't know what Mikhail said. Is she deaf, Damien?"

"Yes." Damien nodded. "Her name is Angelica."

"You should tell us these things." Mikhail stated.

"I didn't think it was important." Damien shrugged.

Raven was talking to Angelica with sign language before she turned back to him. "There are bruises on her neck, Damien. You forced her, didn't you?"

Damien met Raven's fierce glare with his own. "I wasn't thinking when it happened. I just claimed and fed."

"That could have killed her!" Raven shouted.

Angelica's sign language started again and Raven went back to responding. They're conversation was long, but when it was over, Raven's glare could have killed him. "She doesn't know what we are. You didn't tell her?"

"I just met her." Damien told her.

"Idiot." Raven rolled her eyes. "You need to tell her these things."

"I will, I promise." Damien sighed. "Any way, I was hoping you could help explain it."

"That is a lifemate's duty, Damien." Mikhail told him. "You will do it, as you should. For now, take her back to where she's staying and stay with her there. You can explain everything to her."

"I will." Damien nodded.


End file.
